Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1887-12-16


By the last census ii Is made TO appear
that of the / q 392 099 of our population en-
gagged in all kinds of industries 100, 4@3 are
employed in agriculture. 4,O'i,%SS IN Profes-
sional and personal service, (2J4,SIo OF
whom are domestic servants and iaborers,l
while I,sIO256 are employed N trade and
TRANSFORMATION and , S31. ll2 are clasSed as
employed in manufacturing ana mlnlng-
For present purposes, however, the last
number given should be considerably re
duced- Without attempting 10 enumerate
all il will be conceded that there should be
deducted from those which 1t includes 30, 40
carpenters and joiners, %, 4O1 milllners,
dreSsmakers, and seamstresses, l12, 10 black
smiths 133, 100 tailOrs and talIoresses, IOS, 10
masOns, 30, 24l butchers, 4l,305 bakers, @-,Uo3
plasterers and 4 ,S9l engaged IN manutactur-
ing agricultural implements, amounting IN
the aggregate to 1.2l4.02i, leaving 2.623, OS9
persons employed in such manufacturing in
dustries as are claimed 20 be benented by
nigh tariff.
10 these the appeal Is made to save their
employment and maintain their wages by re-
sisting change. There should be no dlspo-
sition to answer such suggestions by the
allegation that they are III a minority among
those who labor. and therefore should forego
an advantage. in the interest OF low prices
for the majority: their compensation, as IL
NAV be affected by the operation Of the tariff
laws should at all times be scrupulOusly kept
in view; and yet with slight reflection they
will not overlook the fact that they are con-
sumerS with the rest: that they, too, nave
to supply from their earnings, and that the
price of the neceSsarieS of life, as we'll as the
amount of their wages, will regulate the meas
ure of their welfare and comfort.
But the reduction of taxation demanded
should be so measured not to neceSsltate or
Justify either the loss of employment by the
working man nor the lessening of his wages:
and the profits still remaining TO the manu-
facturer, after a necessary readJUStTnent.
should furnish no excuse for the sacrifice OF
the interests of his employees either in their
opportunity to work or IN the dl-
nlinution of their compensation. Nor
can the worker in manufactures fail
to understand that while high
tariff is claimed to be necessary to allow the
payment of remunerative wages, 1t certainly
results in very large increase IN the price or
nearly all sorts of manufactures, which, in
almost countless forms. he needs for the use
of himself and his family. He receives at
the desk of his employer his wages, and per
haps before he reaches his home is Obliged,
in a purchase for family use of an article
which embraces his own labor, to return III
the payment of the increase III price which
the tariff permits, the hard earned compensa-
ton of many days of toll
The farmer and the agriculturiSt. who
manufacture nothing, but who pay the in
creased price which the tariff imposes upon
every agricultural implement, upon all he
wears and upon all he uses and owns, except the
things as his husbandry produces from the
SOIL is invited to aid in maintaining the
present situation: and he IS told that
high duty on imported wool is necessary Tor
the benefit of those who have sheep to shear,
in order that the price of their wool may
be increased. They, of course, are not
reminded that the farmer who has no sheep
Is bV this scheme obliged. in his purchase or
clothing and wooden goods, to pay a tribute
to his fellow farmer as we'll as to the manu-
facturer and merchant; nor is any mention
made of the fact that the Sheep-ownerS them
selves and their households must wear cloth
nd
the wool they sell at tariff prices, and thus as
consumers must return their snare OF Cnls III
creased price to the tradesman
| think it may be fairly assumed that a
large proportion of the sheep owned by the
farmers throughout the country are found
in small f1OckS numbering from twenty-five
to fifty The duty on the grade OF imported
wool which these sheep yield is I'D cents
each pound if of the value of 80 cents or less
and II cents If of the value of more than 80
cents If the liberal estimate OF SIX
duty thereon would be 60 or - cents,
and this may be taken as the utmost
enhancement of its price to the farmer 6y
reason Of this duty. Eighteen dollars would
thus represent the increased price of the wool
from twenty-five sheep and thirty-sl dollars
that from the wool of fifty sheep, and at
present values this addition would amount to
about one-third of its price. 1t upon Its sale
the farmer receives this or a less tariff profit
the wool leaves his hands charged with pre-
cisely that sum, which in all It's changes Will
adhere TO it until it reaches the consumer
When manufactured into cloth and other
goods and material for use, its cost is not
only increased to the extent of the farmer s
tariff profit, but further sum has been
added for the benefit of the manufacturer
under the operation of other tariff laws
In the meantime the day arrives when
the farmer finds it necessary to purchase
wooden goods and material to clOthe him.
| self and family for the winter. When he
faces the tradesman for that purpose he
discovers that he is obliged not only to
/ return in the way of increased price his tariff
profit on the wool he sold, and which then
/ perhaps lies before him in manufactured form,
but that he must add a considerable sum
thereto to meet further increase in cost
caused by tariff duty on the manufacture.
! Thus in the end he is aroused to the fact hat
/ he has paid upon a moderate purchase, as
result of the tariff scheme, which, when he
sold his wool seemed so profitable, an increase
in price more than sufficient to sweep away
all the tariff profit he received upon the wool
! he produced and sold.
When the numbers of farmers engaged IN
wool raising is compared with all the farmers
in the country and the small proportion they
bear to our population is considered: when II
is made apparent that in the of a large
part of those who own sheep the benefit of the
present tariff on wool is illuSOry, and above all
when it must be conceded that the increase OF
/ the cost of living caused by such tariff becomes
. a burden upon those with moderate means
! and the poor the employed and unemployed
the sick and well, and the young and old, and
that it constitutes a tax which with relentless
! grasp fastens upon the clothing of every
. man, woman, and child in the land, reasons
are suggested why the removal or reduction
/ of this duty should be included in revision